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HELIOS HVD2085 (DVD)

It's time for this contributor to graduate to the realms of technology reviews. I'll admit my nervousness, my apprehension, my mind numbing fear in the face of such a daunting task, but I'll sally forth. For my first foray into the field I've taken a long hard look at the relatively new NeoDigits Helios HVD2085, a High Definition upscaling DVD player available at a decent price. So what exactly is upscaling? Well, I had to look it up myself. Apparently in this, the age of the emergence of the official HD formatted digital versatile disc, standard DVDs and their players are doing their best to compete. As you probably already know, standard DVDs can look great, but never officially reach the high standards of the high definition format. An upscaling player such as this one actually increases the definition of a standard disc to HD quality, or at least near-HD. This is a pretty large claim for a company to stake, and my job here was to find out if it was true.

Contents

I opened the surprisingly small box to find, one DVD player, one DVD player remote, an instruction booklet, the power plug and rather swanky HDMI Cable. The remote did not include any batteries (for shame).

Aesthetics

The player is very thin and for lack of a better word, sort of adorable. Its rounded corners kind of reminded me of a less childish-looking iMac product. The body of the player is black and the face is silver which unfortunately for me, doesn't match the general blackness I'd inadvertently developed in my set up. The display is backlit in light blue, and is a little small for my liking as I'm the type of person who likes to look down at the time progressed on any given title, especially when I'm watching something I'm not enjoying. It's nice to know how much more endurance a film will take, and with this display I can't simply read the time elapsed from my couch. The remote isn't the sleekest on the market, but isn't ugly either. I'd place it in the 'non-descript' category. The glow-in-the-dark buttons are a welcome addition.

Ergonomics

The player buttons are for the most part responsive, but the power and drawer-open buttons aren't as effective as I'd like. I'd also like it if the drawer-open button turned the machine on—something that the Oppo Digital player also failed to do in our recent review. The drawer opens at a reasonable speed; however, there is a lack of responsiveness. Again this is a problem shared with the Oppo Digital player—the drawer does not open the instant the open button is pressed, which whilst no major issue does frustrate. The drawer is very thin, but made from a pliable and heavy plastic making it much sturdier than that of my last two players, both of which I was consistently convinced I would break. The disc fits nicely into its slot, keeping it from shifting while entering or ejecting from the machine.

The remote, which like I said, isn't the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world, has soft and mostly responsive buttons, though I'm not used to the placement quite yet. The menu button especially, seems to elude me every time I reach for it. The buttons are also all of very similar shapes and sizes, making the usual dark room fumbling a little frustrating. These are all things I'm sure I'll get use to in time, though arranging so many of the remotes most important functions at the bottom of the gadget seemed a bit counterproductive. The power button must be depressed really hard and held to turn the unit on, which isn't exactly a blast. This may be a glitch with the particular remote I used.

Don't worry though—none of these ergonomic issues are really very important in the big picture. And speaking of picture...

Picture Quality

Here's the real test, right? Does this thing really upscale? Yes it does.

This player can output DVDs through the following resolutions: 480p, 540p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, and the ever-powerful 1080p. This means it can output an interlaced and progressive image up to 1920 wide and 1080 pixels high. My set cannot get 1080p progressive, so I downgraded a bit to the more realistic (which is a word I use to make myself feel better about my television limitations) 720p, and all but ignored the 1080i output, because interlaced isn't as good as progressive for most titles—though there are some Hong Kong DVDs that utilize the process. My set (for you to compare to your own) is 1,366 x 788 pixels. Your set may be different than mine, and perhaps utilize an even greater resolution, which makes the choices given here all the more important. Those of you with standard TVs may still get something out of this player’s other settings, such as 480p or even standard NTSC or PAL playback.

The picture looks fabulous, and for the most direct comparisons I tossed Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith into my old player (480p capable) just before disconnecting it. Those of you who own the disc know how amazing it looks, due mostly to the fact that it's an entirely digital image, and that George Lucas put about a hundred million bucks into it. I was pretty sure that this was about as good as a DVD image could look.

Then I attached the Helios HVD2085 and stuffed in the same disc, and much to my cynic-laden shock, the movie looked even better. Detail levels are noticeably increased, as is general brightness. I actually had to turn the brightness on my TV down a hair, which due to my old player's limitations, was set very high. I was sure this whole upscaling business was an empty marketing ploy, but it seems that I was wrong. I've no idea how this upscaling works, but apparently it does. Lesser titles made their way into the player next, and though less pronounced, they too looked better, with the exception of a few titles that were actually hindered by the process, as it brought out some of their inadequacies more predominantly. It seems some DVDs were meant to be viewed at a lower resolution, which easy enough to set on the player's main menu.

This is not true HD playback, and I'm sure when compared side by side with the real thing, differences will be noticeable, but those of us not ready to shell out for the next gen player and discs should be happy with this temporary amendment. At least until prices drop and bugs are fixed, which I'm guessing will take three or four years.

The problem with this whole upscaling thing is that non-anamorphic titles are automatically stretched in the process. At first I was convinced I was doing something wrong, or that there was some kind of compatibility issue with my set (the upscaling actually jams the wide/zoom controls of the set to full mode), but after questioning the company, I was assured that this is a problem with most upscaling players on the market. I'm not in the position to verify this statement, as I can't exactly afford to just go out and purchase another upscaling player for comparison, so I'm taking NeoDigits' word for it. That said, whilst an issue there are very few non-anamorphic titles coming out these days. The field is mostly limited to TV series, which wouldn't benefit from the HD upgrade anyway.

This anamorphic issue is again, easily solved from the player's main menu. I simply have to set the player resolution to 480p before watching non-anamorphic titles. In this case, I'd just purchased Justice League: Season One, which much to fan chagrin, was not presented in wide screen. This downgrading caused some edge enhancement, especially in the animated series with all its harsh black lines, but it should be noted that this was nothing less than my old 480p player had achieved. I was told that there should be a firmware upgrade coming as soon as the problem is solved. I'd prefer that screen scaling was automatic in the future.

Audio

I, uh, don't own any DVD Audio titles and for the most part, my current sound system isn’t exactly state of the art, so I apologize for any lack of detail here. Besides, this is a video upgrade—sound isn't the selling point. I honestly noticed little or no difference in this upgrade from my older, lesser player. I used a digital optical cable for my test, and I noticed no sound delays or inconsistencies. If anything, I'd say that I had to turn down my volume levels a bit, which leads me to belief that the Helios player has a slightly better bit rate than my old player.

Features

This is a true blue, out of the box, no tinkering required, region free player. In case that wasn't enough good news for you, it also has a PAL to NTSC/NTSC to PAL converter. That means that with this player, you can play almost any DVD in the world. I've personally been multi-region fixed for years now, and being a fan of foreign and 'cult' titles I find the option invaluable. If you've been thinking about getting a multi-region player, this might be a your chance. At an SRP of $199, the Helios HVD2085 is an affordable and powerful choice. The player has takes no delay in recognizing a region, unlike some models that have to think, or lord help us, require a code to be stamped in with every regional disc entered.

Anyone watching a PAL signal on an NTSC television may have experienced a little thing I like to call the PAL wiggles. This problem, which is more professionally referred to as aliasing, effects straight lines mostly, especially those of on screen text and, for wider ratio films, the widescreen matting. It's been the bane of my multi-regional existence for far too long, and was something that made me think twice before purchasing PAL titles. I figured this would always be a problem. I was wrong. Thanks to 720p upgrading, PAL titles are wiggle free. I have to sacrifice a little bit of detail (the signal is different, after all), which leads to some slight blurring on less endowed titles (like my Phantasm set). This blurring is favourable, however, to dancing jaggy lines running across my screen.

Also included is an option to skip right to the movie on any given DVD meaning no more FBI warnings, trailers for unrelated movies, or menu systems that give away the ending of the film. This can be simply set in the main set up menu, quickly and easily.

Something NeoDigits might want to think about adding next time around is a screen saver option. As it stands now, the main menu is full on, bright white, which is the kind of thing that can burn out certain sets if left on. Most players I've come across chose a dark blue or even black background for their menu systems, and the choice makes perfect sense. Even sets that resist burn in will drain their lamps of precious and expensive power in a short time when the screen is filled with white.

Conclusion

This is a quality player, for a reasonable price. The upscaling is the main selling point, but real DVD fanatics will be most excited by the out-of-the-box region free capabilities. I had a few complaints, but most of them were aesthetic and ergonomic, and the kind of thing one can ignore, also the kind of thing that can come down to personal opinion.

Hopefully the problems with my remote's power button were incidental, maybe it was jostled in the moving process. On the off chance that all models have this problem, I'd suggest that NeoDigits gets it taken care of right away. I also hope future models have a screen saver and don't use white as their main menu background. My other quibbles with the aspect ratio seem to be issues out of the company’s hands, though I still hope it's a problem that's solved someday down the line.

The bottom line is that you get a lot for your money in this player, and I recommend it highly to those with moderate budgets hoping to get a jump on the HD and multi-regional bandwagons.

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Bradavon, here in Australia there are plenty of dvdplayers sold that are multi-region - I suspect at least 50% from factory. Even my Sony one was region free when bought with no mods needed. Bradavon wrote: That's nuts. 95% of DVDs and broadcast TV is PAL but the TVs still support both. Are you refering to UK or the world in general with this statement?

Brandon - There was a problem with my review player and I haven't recieved my HDMI cable. AS soon as I get it, I'll update the review to specify if I noticed a dfference.

Also, apparently there is such a thing as an anamorhically enhanced 4:3 DVD. I've never seen it, but apparently it ensures the appropriate compression of a 4:3 image on a 16:9 set, or something. HDDVDs are said to use this. I may be mistaken, but this is what I've heard. Dave?

Lincoln - The player supports pretty much every available form of output, including the mysterious 576p. This player is a pretty good choice if you plan on upgrading your set someday and would like to join us in the whole multiregion thing.

in answer to Bradavon, I was shocked when I saw the zoomed image, but its true, having said that I think ALL widescreen releases should be anamorphic in this day and age. As far as I know all the upscaling players support 480i

Gabe have you compared Progressive via Component as well as HDMI? I was considering it as I hear there isn't actually much difference but it would mean having to buy a Component lead just for the sake of it.

Considering Scart is only found in Europe and I also hear Australia what do most people use to wath TVs? Is Component that common place or do most use the ghastly S-video or even worse Composite?

Gabe Powers wrote: I'm not sure if I've ever seen an anamorphically enhanced 4:3 title. I know they must be out there, but I've never seen one. Nah anamorphic is a process designed for the widescreen ratios it's not possible nor is it needed on 4:3. Which is non-anamorphic by it's very nature.

dbeamish wrote: 1080i is still interlaced on an LCD or Plasma. I didn't realise that cheers.

dbeamish wrote: More than there used to be but a lot of TVs in the states, especially CRTs, do not support PAL! That's nuts. 95% of DVDs and broadcast TV is PAL but the TVs still support both. PAL does have a higher resolution which may make NTSC struggle but that can't really be the reason.

dbeamish wrote: Its a lot less important over there. The main reason I have multi region is to play discs from over there. If you're SOLELY interested in Hollywood or American films then yes but that would cut out a massive percentage of the films out there.

There are stacks of films not released on R1. Don't get me wrong most people by far in the UK only buy UK R2 DVDs (as most like to waste loads of cash and buy in stores) but my point being they still own multi-region players.

dbeamish wrote: There are fewer "more special" R2 titles and what with the way the US tends to keep itself to itself in these types of things Yeah the same happens in Australia. I'd suspect most of their players are R4 only. Shame really some countries are so closed in, that's a different discussion. The UK is hardly fully open, especially to the rest of Europe.

witchfinder wrote: The thing that has amazed me is the zoomed in Image is almost as good as the anamorphic one. Really? Non-anamorphic zoomed in no matter what TV I've seen it on always looks awful to me. Non-anamorphic is evil when you own a WS TV.

Mal wrote: So long as you stay away from major brands then it's fine, if you want a Sony or Pioneer player then get them from mail order home cinema retailers who will update the firmware for you. Very true. For me the major brands produce much better players so I always opt for them and make sure it's pre-multiregioned.

movieguy85 wrote: I think I'll stick with my Oppo Digital OPDV971H player. I won't say that the Oppo player is better without a side-by-side comparision, but I do know you'd you have to pry the Oppo out of my cold, dead hands before I'd give it up.

I think I'll stick with my Oppo Digital OPDV971H player. Not only did Benchmark give it the HIGHEST score out of ANY DVD player on the market (98/100), even higher than the $3500 Denon player, but the player itself is more attractive. It does not upscale to 1080p as of yet, but they BEST thing about this DVD player is that you can download Firmware updates through Oppo's website, and transfer them directly to your player. MSRP is also at $199.99, and in my opinion, MUCH better than Helios. Even though Oppo is a new name in electronics, they've been building products for Toshiba, Sony and more, for years! Go with this one instead!

quote]The problem with this whole upscaling thing is that non-anamorphic titles are automatically stretched in the process

I have a Samsung DVD-HD950 upscaling player connected to the Samsung LE40M61 LCD and have found no problems with non anamorphic titles, if its 4:3 it comes out at that ratio, if its letterboxed, the player and tv accomodate this and zoom in accordingly.The thing that has amazed me is the zoomed in Image is almost as good as the anamorphic one. I cant get over how film like the picture is, this technology beats CRTs hands down. I run the player at 720p as I noticed at 1080i it was a slightly jurky picture.

dbeamish wrote: Even my Mum has a multi region DVD player in the UK (but I did buy it for her) Every DVD player my relatives have bought were multiregion even though they didn't look for it specifically, one was multiregion out of the box, the others required simple instructions to remove the region lock.

So long as you stay away from major brands then it's fine, if you want a Sony or Pioneer player then get them from mail order home cinema retailers who will update the firmware for you.

Bradavon wrote: LCD and Plasma screens being progressive by their very nature surely 1080i having a larger resolution would be better, no?

1080i is still interlaced on an LCD or Plasma. The thing is, it is better to choose a resolution as close to your screens native resolution as possible to prevent any additional scaling. Also, progressive images, as it seems yo uare aware, are nicer to look at than interlaced ones so in a lot of cases, currently 720p is a better way to view HD for a lot of people since most people do not have 1920x1080 screens.

More than there used to be but a lot of TVs in the states, especially CRTs, do not support PAL! When a friend came over from Canada to here and was in the market for a new TV over there, he spent a LONG time looking for one that was PAL and NTSC so he could bring it. This was you know.. 10 years ago now but you get the idea. Madness eh!

Bradavon wrote: I can't believe in this day and age most American's still don't have Multi-region players (right?).

Its a lot less important over there. The main reason I have multi region is to play discs from over there. There are fewer "more special" R2 titles and what with the way the US tends to keep itself to itself in these types of things, muli region is something only the more hardcore of DVD enthusiasts have. Again, its becoming mroe popular when people see cool SE R2 DVDs from Europe or Japan but it's a lot less prolific than in the UK. Even my Mum has a multi region DVD player in the UK (but I did buy it for her )

Most US TVs are NOT multistandard. Probably 95% or more of the people who own DVD players in the US are not multiregion ready. I'd venture to say that probably even 80% of the US readers on this site aren't set up.

I did try 4:3, The Justice League season one, and it was stretched. I'm not sure if I've ever seen an anamorphically enhanced 4:3 title. I know they must be out there, but I've never seen one.

As far as the 720p VS 1080i, I'm not an expert for sure, but I noticed a bit of difference, especially in movement.

Quote: 720p, and all but ignored the 1080i output, because interlaced isn't as good as progressive for most titles LCD and Plasma screens being progressive by their very nature surely 1080i having a larger resolution would be better, no?

I compared both 1080i and 720p HDMI upscaling on my Pioneer DVD Player (it doesn't support 1080p upscaling) and honestly couldn't tell the difference both were awesome. I sure as hell could notice the difference over the RGB Scart cable I also had attached for testing.

I've no idea what resolution that is outputting 576i I think???

Quote: The problem with this whole upscaling thing is that non-anamorphic titles are automatically stretched in the process. Do you include 4:3 DVDs in this statement too? As I've not noticed such a problem but would be hard pressed to think of a non-anamorphic WS DVD in my collection.

I definitely have some but would have to look for them.

Quote: Anyone watching a PAL signal on an NTSC television may have experienced a little thing I like to call the PAL wiggles. Surely NTSC Americans TVs are multi-standard? Multi-standard TVs in Europe (and Australia) has long been standard. Only cheap ass TVs are PAL only.

Quote: I, uh, don't own any DVD Audio titles and for the most part Shame on you ;-D . Both it and SACD are awesome formats. It's such a pity neither has really taken off.

I own about a dozen SACD and DVD-A titles, together. That's nothing compared to my CD collection.

Quote: If you've been thinking about getting a multi-region player I can't believe in this day and age most American's still don't have Multi-region players (right?).

The whole concept is pretty much redundant everywhere else. Don't get me wrong DVDs outside of the States are still a specific region (except for Asia where about half legit DVDs are Region 0) but virtually every simply has a multi-region player. At least in the UK and I would guess Asia too.

Even the UK's biggest high street store sells multi-region DVD players, out of the box. As pretty much standard.

Quote: Also included is an option to skip right to the movie on any given DVD meaning no more FBI warnings, trailers for unrelated movies, or menu systems that give away the ending of the film. This can be simply set in the main set up menu, quickly and easily. What an awesome feature. I wish more players could do this. Man I hate those.